Dark and Stormy Night Challenge
by Ardikani4
Summary: A simple story challenge that is actually harder than it looks! Every chapter must begin and end with 'It was a dark and stormy night' and has to be at least 500 words but no more than 1000. Lennox/Cybertron OC
1. We Meet Again

It was a dark and stormy night, intermittent flashes of lightning and rumbling booms of thunder lighting up the sky and shaking the ground in a never ending cycle of light and sound.

Will Lennox hiked steadily up a long, winding trail, barely noticing the harsh weather as his booted feet dug into the mud with every fluid stride he took. He didn't slip, nor did he falter, unerringly making his way to the top of the hill he was climbing before he halted and took a moment to breathe, studying a truly stunning panorama of rain and lightning as the storm raged on around him.

_I haven't seen a storm like this in a long time,_ he thought, his sharp hazel eyes studying the sky before his gaze dropped to the small valley he stood over, and he eagerly searched for something. He continued looking every time the lightning struck, but he just couldn't find what he was looking for. His heart sank in his chest, and he turned to go back the way he came.

_She promised…_ Will thought with a tinge of anger, but more sadness than anything, then he froze when a single, piercing howl floated through the air, even above the sound of the wind and the thunder. Slowly he turned, a massive smile crossing his face when his eyes fell on her.

She was still as big as he remembered, still as powerful and graceful. Her bronze armor gleamed brightly with every bolt of lightning that struck as she climbed the hill to meet him. Her cobalt blue optics were still bright, filled with wisdom and kindness as she lowered her massive head to gently press the tip of her nose to his chest.

Instantly he hugged her muzzle, pressing his cheek against her warm armor as she spoke softly, her voice rumbling through his entire body.

"I did not think you were going to come with this inclement weather, Will." Warrior Star said, watching him with gentle optics as he pulled back and met her gaze.

"We both promised, didn't we? I never break a promise, Warrior Star." He said, then she nudged him slightly until he was sitting on her nose before turning and heading back in the direction she had come from.

"Indeed, Will, neither do I." She said, still speaking softly as she made her way down the hill before entering a big cave, her optics glowing in the darkness as she made her way through a maze of twists and turns with the human sitting on her nose.

Eventually she emerged into a big cavern with a massive fire pit in the middle, lowering her head to let Will down before shaking herself vigorously and laying down close enough to the fire for Will to dry off and be warm without getting overly warm herself.

Her three brothers emerged from a few caverns off of the main one, wagging their tails politely at Will and nodding at their sister before making their way outside.

"Decepticon in the area. They're going hunting." She said at Will's curious glance before the human walked over to her and settled against her side. She lowered her head, placing it on the ground next to him as she studied him from the corner of one keen optic until he spoke.

"Been awhile, hasn't it Warrior Star?" Will said thoughtfully, keeping his gaze on the fire as the Cybertronian wolf watched him calmly.

"It has, Will. Far too long." She replied before she looked at the fire as well. They sat in comfortable silence before he spoke again, his voice wistful and affectionate with memories.

"It was a dark and stormy night, just like this when you disappeared…"

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><p><strong>AN: I've been ITCHING to rewrite this every since I started on The Wanderer...I've always loved Will Lennox as a character, and there are not NEARLY enough good Lennox fics running around. That and this little challenge fic has been sitting dormant for a year and a half. Bad me! Bad bad me!**

**ANYWAY, I'll probably be running this fic more or less on the side as I work on The Wanderer. I'm thinking there will be five, maybe six chapters total in this one...it will be Warrior Star/Will centric. Hopefully I'll be able to finish both of them in the next few months.**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	2. Remembering Shockwave

_"It was a dark and stormy night, just like this when you disappeared…"_

Warrior Star couldn't help the twinge that flickered through her frame at the affectionate yet sad tone to Will's voice. On impulse, she shifted her head a bit closer to him as he kept talking, blissfully ignorant of the wolf's guilt.

"The rain was going non-stop. Lightning and thunder, the whole nine yards. I swore the sky was going to fall on us…but there you were. Just standing there. Facing down that big Decepti-creep Shockwave and the Driller like you were made of stone. Your optics were on fire…I've never seen anything like it. If looks could kill, they would have both melted down into nothing under your gaze at that moment. God, I'll never forget it." Will leaned a little more comfortably into her thick bronze armor, his eyes misty with memories before he spoke again.

"I've never seen you move that fast…you were a blur of bronze armor. Shockwave never even saw you coming…you hit him so hard that I could hear his frame creak under the strain. Silver and bronze armor flew, energon splattered…you were fighting so fast and so hard that I couldn't even follow it. I do remember when the Driller hit you…I thought it was going to tear right through you. But no…you bounced away and came right back at it, tearing off plate after plate of that weird rotating armor that it had. I remember its screams of pain and anger…they haunt my memories to this day." Warrior Star remembered as well, her hot energon soaking her bronze armor as she tore Shockwave's favorite pet to shreds, piece by piece by piece. She vented softly, shuttering her optics as she kept listening to Will's deep, soothing voice as he continued telling the tale that both of them knew so well.

"I remember the look on Shockwave's face when he realized that you were destroying that monster of his. He looked so shocked, but then this look went through his optics, like he was hell-bent on destroying you and saving his pet. But you sensed the change, I think…you turned to him as the Driller writhed beneath you, staring at him like a predator looking at its prey, then you leaped. You were wide open and you knew it and you didn't care…your optics were insane. Never have I seen such hatred before. He fired that cannon point-blank into your chest armor and it didn't even faze you…I remember the fear that was in Shockwave's optics when your claws tore into his chest. That fear was there up until the second you crushed his spark, and then his optics went dark." She remembered that as well, staring into her most hated enemy's optics up until the moment he died. Never had the Cybertronian wolf felt such satisfaction in her entire existence as she did then.

"And then Driller…I couldn't even tell what you did. You were a blur…then the next thing I knew, that thing hit the ground with a screech of gears, then it went still. I didn't even know how you killed it. Hell, I still don't. I just know that it and Shockwave are gone, melted down and then the alloys recast into tech that the Autobots can use." Warrior Star snorted very softly at the irony. Some of Ratchet's new tools and Ironhide's new armor mixes were made up of dead Decepticons. At Will's silence, she onlined her optics again and stared at him, finding herself looking into his clear hazel eyes, seeing a question there before he spoke again.

"You still never officially joined the Autobots…none of your pack has. Why?" The human asked, placing a hand against the wolf's cheek plates as her optics dimmed in thought.

"They still do not trust me, Lennox. Even with Shockwave gone, the moment I step on base, the femmes are on guard, wondering if I'll attack their sparklings, and the mechs prime their weapons, wondering if they'll have to put a bullet in my spark. I won't join a faction that won't trust me. And I do well with my pack…if Optimus needs us, he'll call us. We were there for him in Chicago…he knows we'll come again." Then she paused thoughtfully, her optics flicking before she spoke again.

"It was a dark and stormy night in Chicago, the day before the battle began…"

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><p><strong>AN: Well, now that I've kinda got a handle on how I want this little challenge fic to run, it's rolling pretty smoothly. That and the smaller chapter requirement makes this one pretty easy to write for.**

**I'm also enjoying writing just Lennox and Warrior Star, jumping back and forth from one point of view to the other. I'll be rotating back to Will's POV next chapter...already have an idea of how I want that one to go as well. Now just to write it...**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	3. Grateful

_"It was a dark and stormy night in Chicago, the day before the battle began…"_

Will felt his eyes mist over as Warrior Star's powerful voice hummed through the cavern. She definitely had the voice of a storyteller…she could bring the characters to life right in front of you, almost.

"I remember that my brothers and I were roaming the streets in our alternates, checking out the Decepticon lines and testing defenses here and there. Most of the 'Cons had no idea we were there…we're pretty good at hiding our signatures most times. The few that found us, well…let's just say that they didn't last long." She chuckled, making Will smile as well, before she continued.

"We kept messing with them all through the night, taking out 'Cons where we could and just generally causing mayhem. You know the pack…we enjoy screwing up even the best, most foolproof of plans. That and the Decepticons suck at planning. Most times I'm pretty sure they just wing a fight. No wonder they lose so often." The femme chuckled again, her cobalt blue optics sparkling in amusement at the memories.

"That morning…well, it was terrible. Hearing about the rocket ship exploding, seeing that entire city on lockdown…we didn't know what to do. Then that nut Witwicky came through with Epps and his boys, looking for his blasted girlfriend…" The wolf growled aloud, her annoyance with Sam Witwicky _still_ present, even after the years that had passed. Then a slightly warmer light flickered through her optics and she looked at Will affectionately.

"However, that fool boy did bring you to Chicago…I guess I owe him for that. I remember watching you and your men jump from the Ospreys…you were too high for us to help against those pit-spawned Decepticon aerials. I followed you through the streets as you guys glided in on those little wing-suit things of yours…I managed to jump high enough to snag a couple of those aerials and put them out for the count. Then I ran into Shockwave…I was too busy distracting him and the Driller to think about you and your guys and if you were all faring all right." Here the wolf paused, her optics slightly regretful as she looked at the human apologetically. He patted her cheek plates reassuringly and she smiled at him softly before continuing.

"I fought that cursed mech until he and the Driller vanished…by then, Optimus had found Sentinel and Megatron, and the rest of the battle was already over. I tore that city apart trying to find you…with that many Decepticons, I was afraid you hadn't come though. You had me worried, Will Lennox. Me. The War Beast, infamous killer of Andante. You. Had. Me. Worried." Warrior Star stared at him, her optics flickering slightly in the firelight as he stared right back. Slowly, she turned her head until he was sandwiched between her cheek plates and her side armor, but he didn't mind. He gently ran his hands across her muzzle as she shuttered her optics, curled around him like a huge bronze snake.

"You have a way of making someone care about you, Will. I can't explain it…but you found a way. Perhaps it was how kindly you treated me when I first arrived, even when the Autobots were telling you I couldn't be trusted. Perhaps it was because I sensed that you had suffered the same sort of loss that I had…I do not know. I do not know, Lennox. But you found a way to touch my spark…and I am grateful for it. You reminded me that I was not the War Beast any longer, that I hadn't been for a long, long time…you made me remember what it meant to care. You reminded me of what I was before Andante died, and you helped me bring that back into the femme I am now. And I will always be thankful to you for it." Warrior Star onlined her optics again, looking at him with so much gratitude that he wrapped his arms around her muzzle and leaned against the armor of her face before he spoke in reply.

"You helped me at least as much as I was able to help you. So really, I should be thanking you, for having the courage to stick it out and give all of us the chance to get to know you and your brothers better. You and your pack are like my best friends now…I know you'll always be there if I need you." The Cybertronian and the human sat in silence for several minutes, enjoying the quiet and the companionship they each gave to the other, before Will sighed sadly and spoke again.

"It was a dark and stormy night on the anniversary of Sarah and Annabelle's deaths…"

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><p><strong>AN: Well, here's another chapter! Good news is I have all the remaining chapters for this little challenge written, just need to upload the last few and get them ready for posting. There will be five total chapters, so you can expect two more after this. I really did enjoy getting back into this one and love how it managed to come out. :)**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	4. There You Were

_"It was a dark and stormy night on the anniversary of Sarah and Annabelle's deaths…"_

Warrior Star felt her spark clench in her chest, and she instantly onlined her optics to stare at her sorrowful human companion. He barely seemed to notice that she was looking at him, his eyes hazy with tears as he continued talking.

"The rain was just dumping down that night, cats and dogs, pitchforks and hammers…the drainage ditches were filling up and flooding, soil was being washed away…I even heard about a couple nasty mudslides a few miles away from where I lived. God what an awful night that was…" Warrior Star watched silently as tears slowly made their way down Lennox's face.

"I don't even remember what I was doing or what I had been doing or what I had planned to work on because so much stuff needed to be done…I was just catatonic. Staring at their pictures. Remembering Sarah's voice, Annie's laugh…" The tears fell faster but Will just kept talking.

"All I knew was that they were gone, they were gone and they were never coming back, not ever…not ever. I had my sidearm nearby…I remember that it was on my list of things to do. It needed cleaning and general maintenance, but there it was. And I stared at the gun, at the pictures of my family…I thought of the bullets in the magazine, the round in the chamber, and how one trigger pull would end all my problems and then I could see my family again…" Will voice cracked and broke, and he cleared his throat harshly before rubbing the tears from his eyes to give Warrior Star a teary smile.

"And then…you showed up. It was like you knew that I needed someone there, that I needed that proverbial shoulder to cry on. You knew I was inside even though I didn't answer the door, you kept rattling your claws on the door and on the walls…I could hear you circling and howling, then your claws would rattle again, then you'd howl. I was sure that if I didn't come out you'd tear the roof off to get to me." Here Will laughed, his tears subsiding as Warrior Star gently pressed her nose to his chest again.

"So out I came…drunk as hell and pissed off beyond belief. I was all ready to give you the worst ass-chewing you've ever had…then your paw closed around me and you just picked me up and pressed your nose to my chest. I was frozen with shock, I'll admit. All I could do was stare at you, and I saw the fear in your optics as you checked me over, making sure I was okay. Then you just…hit the ground, shuttered your optics, and pressed me up against your chest armor, then you curled around me like a bronze armored security blanket. I couldn't move an inch, you had me gripped so securely. And you didn't move for the rest of the night, not until I sobered up and calmed down enough to explain what had happened, why I wasn't picking up the phone. I didn't know until you told me that Epps had called you in a panic, asking if you knew where I was because I wasn't answering my phone. I didn't know that Ironhide was near frantic with worry on whatever mission he was out on because I wasn't answering him either. I didn't know how scared you were, not until you found me there." Will paused, looking deep into the cobalt blue optics of the Cybertronian wolf as she stared at him intensely, but still silent.

"I didn't know until the next day that you saved my life…because if you hadn't have come…I wouldn't be here today." The soldier whispered, looking so broken yet so grateful that all Warrior Star could do was curl around him a little tighter as she ever so gently blew a breath of air into his chest. Soldier and femme sat in silence, staring at each other, before Will gently patted her nose again.

"Guess it's about time for me to be getting back, isn't it?" Will asked, smiling slightly as her optics dimmed a little before she uncurled and slowly rose to her paws, stretching her massive frame as the human stood and did the same. Warrior Star lowered her head, allowing Will to climb back onto her nose before she turned and left the cavern, unerringly making her way to the entrance tunnel.

The femme headed outside, where the rain had finally abated, climbing the hill in a few easy strides before pausing at the top. Human and Cybertronian watched the sky in silence, lightning flashing and thunder growling softly as the storm slowly left the area, leaving a clear night sky filled with stars in its wake.

Warrior Star was the one to break the silence, her voice quiet in the cool night air.

"Tonight was a dark and stormy night, when you came here to see me again…"

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><p><strong>AN: I hope this chapter didn't offend anyone, with the mention of Will contemplating suicide...it is a subject I take very seriously myself, considering the friends I have lost to it and several near misses at my duty stations since I have been in the military. Again, if I offended anyone, my deepest apologies.**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


	5. Until Next Time

_"Tonight was a dark and stormy night, when you came here to see me again…"_

Still perched on the end of Warrior Star's nose, Will Lennox kept his gaze on the star-filled night sky as her voice filled the night like the warm tolling of a great bronze bell.

"You and I spent a quiet evening together. We remembered some of our greater battles, some of our sadder memories…and we enjoyed each other's company. I do hope you plan on returning in the near future to visit me again, Will. I miss seeing you every day." She said softly, her optics fixed on the human sitting comfortably on her nose. Lennox didn't turn when he replied, but her sensitive audios caught his voice easily.

"Indeed we did, Warrior Star. And I know, I miss you too…I kinda keep hoping that the Decepticons will kick up a stink here soon, so that I can see you and the pack in action again. That and it's a perfect excuse for us to make some more memories. And get a few more battle scars…" His voice drifted off as he scratched at an old, old scar on his jaw, and her optics followed his movement. The wolf chuckled softly before she replied.

"Yes, I must admit, I miss fighting…my pack was built for war. That and the mechs usually have all the fun…they usually track down any local 'Cons before I even know they're nearby. Spoil-sports." She turned her head just enough to watch her three brothers approach before turning her attention back to Will when the human laughed.

"You sure you don't want to just come back to base with me and actually become an official Autobot? I'm sure Optimus and the rest would be thrilled." Warrior Star couldn't help but smile softly as Will tried, for the umpteenth time, to get her to return with him.

"I am certain, Will. My pack and I are rather like Grimlock and his Dinobots…better suited in our own company than in the company of the rest of the Autobots. And I will never truly be an Autobot, and neither will my brothers. We have been without a faction for too many millennia to give up what we have. We have each other, and that is all that matters to us. We don't need to be a part of the Autobot faction to fight for Optimus and the Autobots if they call on us. And the Decepticons have hurt us all too badly for us to ever fight for them." Slowly she lowered her head, letting the human climb down before he turned to stare into her optics.

"Remember this, William Lennox: I am always here if you need me. I will always come when you call, and I will fight for you until I fall. This I swear." Will smiled at her, patting her nose once more before turning and starting to walk away. Warrior Star raised her head and watched him go as Keystone, Swiftpaw, and Shadowfang climbed the hill to join her.

"You remember this, Warrior Star: your home is where your heart is. Just remember that you always have a home with me." He stopped and turned to look back into her optics as he spoke, and he saw the understanding that flickered through her gaze before she replied.

"Keep in touch, Will. We need to make more memories for the next time we meet. Fare thee well." She said, watching him wave before he carefully made his way back to where his vehicle was parked, hopped in, and drove away. She kept watching even after he was out of sight, then she whispered, more to herself than anyone.

"I look forward to seeing you again, William Lennox. On the next dark and stormy night."

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><p><strong>AN: And that's a wrap! I would like to thank anyone that took a moment to pull up this little challenge and give it a read...it's a thing I jumped into about a year and a half ago, but never really found the time, energy, or inspiration to finish. I had fun re-writing and finishing this off, and I hope everyone that read it enjoyed it!**

**As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.**

**Until we meet again...**

**Kani**


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